The Perfect One

Chapter 26

It was Jason's turn to be the centre of the rumor mill. I hadn't seen him all day, though. I knew he hadn't faced that kind of attention since he began dating Vanessa and it wasn't an easy thing to face. The rest of us wanted to help him, obviously. But it seemed like he had gone into hiding. 

"Maybe he went home," Tia suggested as she drink a sip of her soda. 

"But he would have informed someone about it," Michael argued. "The last time I saw him was after first period when he went somewhere with Vanessa and after that he didn't attend any of the classes. He won'teven pick up his phone."

"And apparently he had a fight sometime after that," David said. He was playing with my fingers beneath the table from time to time and it did distract me from the discussion taking place. 

But it was natural now with David. We had been dating for almost two weeks and it seemed like life was going at a normal pace. I couldn't help but wonder, though, whether it was because of the fact that I had become distant from Jason. 

We had gone out for ice cream that one time. It wasn't bonding as much as it was just catching up with each other. We talked with each other, of course. But that was about it. I had had some great times with Jason before and I missed them. Yet I knew that staying away from him was the only way to move on. It had helped. I knew that. 

"Have you spoken to him Kirsten?" Michael asked. 

I shook my head. "Only before Homeroom."

Michael sighed. "There's something going on with him and he's adamant about not talking about it. I've tried everything possible to get him to spill but he won't budge."

"I would say that you need to give him some space," Zoey said. "But you're already giving him that. Besides, his relationship seems to be at that first-fight point which decides whether or not it's going to last." 

"Exactly," Michael agreed. "Do you think he'd say something if all of us were to corner him?"

Zoey chuckled. "We'd have to know where he is first."

"Right." Michael slumped his shoulders in disappointment. "I would slap him if I could. I thought we were best friends." 

"That 'best friends' thing sounds like something one of us girls would say," I commented, smirking. 

"No, it doesn't," Michael said. "He's our best bud and if we won't help him, who will?" 

"He's got a point, you know?" David agreed. "We have to do something about it."

As the rest of them continued to discuss about how they could reach Jason, I pondered over something else that had occured to me. I knew that David was aware that I still had some feelings for Jason. It was the reason I was hesistant about dating him in the first place. 

Yet, with all this happening, I wanted to know what David felt about it. He and Jason were best friends as well. It was obvious, though, that Michael was more worried that David was. Maybe I was over-thinking the whole situation, but the last thing I wanted to do was get in between of the friendship the two had. 

When lunch was over, Jason was still not around and the gossip about him hadn't stopped yet. I went out of the cafeteria with Zoey and Tia, where we met Grace. 

"Nope. We haven't heard from him since this morning," Tia answered when Grace asked whether any of us had seen Jason. "You got any news?"

Grace nodded secretively, as if she had something important to say. "Follow me." 

She led us to a nearby empty classroom, ensuring that no one was following us before she shut the door. 

"What is it?" I asked as she walked towards us.